Sometimes in prayer we use the expression, “Thy Will, not my will.” It always bothers me a little because it seems to promote dualistic thinking. It is either God’s Will or our will, as though we are separate from God, which we are not.
But if we think of the statement “my will” as Ego’s Willfulness, then it helps to clarify the prayer. In other words, “Thy will”…as my willingness for God to be in charge, not my ego’s willfulness. “Thy will not my will”…My willingness, not my willfulness.
In truth, there is only One Will, God’s Will for Absolute Good. And there is a greater or lesser expression of that will, depending upon whether we are willing or willful. We access God’s Will and our willingness through prayer.
Larry Dossey, the physician who has researched prayer scientifically, found that prayer works just as well whether we pray in the way of a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu, or an un-churched person.
Prayer works for the one who is prayed for and also for the one who does the praying. The one who does the praying is often overlooked in case studies, but Dossey found that both improved equally—the pray—er and the pray—ee. Our Prayer Chaplains, who pray with people on a regular basis, were smart to sign up!
I remember working in the Silent Unity Prayer Room. Silent Unity is the Prayer Ministry at Unity Village, headquarters for the Unity Movement, which is 25 miles southeast of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1890, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded the Society of Silent Help, now Silent Unity.
The workers there have been praying for others every day since it was founded. The phone number is in the Daily Word magazine, and when you call, they hold you in prayer for 30 days. They do a brief prayer with you, and then your prayer is put in the Silent Unity Prayer Chapel, where the prayer vigil is kept 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After 30 days, they shred the prayers of a given day, so, you can certainly ask again.
During the time that I worked there, in the summer following ministerial school, it was amazing that we would get calls for prayer that were often related to our own needs. When I left for the night, I would usually end up feeling much better than when I arrived for the eight-hour shift. Prayer does help the one who is praying as well as the one being prayed for. And praying “Thy Will Be Done,” allows us to release, let go and let God.
Love & blessings,
Rev. Kathy